The present invention relates to a testing/adjusting method and test control apparatus for magnetic disk devices, magneto-optic disk devices, and other rotating-disk-type storage devices.
Magnetic disk devices, an example of rotating-disk-type storage devices, are information storage and reproduction devices that use a head(s) to write/read data onto/from the respective magnetic disks. It is necessary to adjust parameters on the heads and amplifiers of magnetic disk devices and to register information on defective sectors of their magnetic disks. After being assembled, therefore, these disk devices undergo various tests and adjustments and are set to a state in which each may develop its function as a product, prior to shipping.
Up to now, during these tests and adjustments, each of the magnetic disk devices has been sequentially mounted on a special test apparatus having about 60 to 100 cells, and then the test apparatus has executed test/adjustment programs to control the operation of the magnetic disk device. Under these testing and adjusting methods, however, the number of magnetic disk devices which may be tested and adjusted at a time is limited by the number of cells, and if the scale of the test apparatus is expanded for an increased number of cells, the amount of investment required increases correspondingly. The conventional testing and adjusting methods have therefore been required to be improved.